John Keats

This landmark biography of celebrated Romantic poet John Keats explodes entrenched conceptions of him as a delicate, overly sensitive, tragic figure. Instead, Nicholas Roe reveals the real flesh-and-blood poet: a passionate man driven by ambition but prey to doubt, suspicion, and jealousy; sure of his vocation while bitterly resentful of the obstacles that blighted his career; devoured by sexual desire and frustration; and in thrall to alcohol and opium. Through unparalleled original research, Roe arrives at a fascinating reassessment of Keats' entire life, from his early years at Keates's Livery Stables through his harrowing battle with tuberculosis and death at the age of 25. Focusing on crucial turning points, Roe finds in the locations of Keats' poems new keys to the nature of his imaginative quest. Roe is the first biographer to provide a full and fresh account of Keats' childhood in the City of London and how it shaped the would-be poet. The mysterious early death of Keats' father, his mother's too-swift remarriage, living in the shadow of the notorious madhouse Bedlam - all these affected Keats far more than has been previously understood. The author also sheds light on Keats' doomed passion for Fanny Brawne, his circle of brilliant friends, hitherto unknown City relatives, and much more. Filled with revelations and daring to ask new questions, this book now stands as the definitive volume on one of the most beloved poets of the English language.
On Saturday 20 October at 4pm the Keats-Shelley House will be hosting the official launch of Nicholas Roe's John Keats: A New Life, published by Yale University Press.
Format:

Hardback
Publication date:
04 Sep 2012
ISBN:
9780300124651
Dimensions:
384 pages: 234 x 156mm
Illustrations:
60 black-&-white illustrations ohn Keats, the iconic romantic poet, was a drug addict and consumed opium to "keep up his spirits" while writing some of his most famous poems, a contentious new biography has